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With the spring semester underway, CU Boulder continues to advance strategic initiatives that support the four institutional priorities��recently discussed by �Թ��� Justin Schwartz.��

From creating a hub for coordinating the campus’s outreach and community engagement work to launching a new vision to elevate CU Boulder’s global presence to completing the �Թ���’s Task Force on Faculty Salaries report, CU Boulder continues to advance its mission as Colorado’s leading public research university, transforming lives since 1876.

Ann Schmiesing, senior vice chancellor for strategic initiatives, sat down with CU Boulder Today to reflect on the initiatives that have stood out so far this academic year, why they matter and what’s ahead in the spring semester.

What progress has CU Boulder made so far this academic year in advancing its strategic initiatives?��

We’ve made substantial progress on several initiatives that support our campus priorities of fostering the success of all students, faculty and staff, scaling research and creative work excellence, achieving global leadership in sustainability impact, and aligning our resources and infrastructure with our mission. I’ll focus on three of the collaborations in which I’ve recently been involved.��

First, this is an exciting moment for CU Boulder’s longstanding commitment to outreach and community engagement. This month, the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognized CU Boulder with the��Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement. This accomplishment underscores the outstanding work CU Boulder faculty, staff and students engage in with partners across the state and beyond.��

To amplify and coordinate this work, in November 2025 we launched the��Office of Outreach and Community Engagement (OCE), which brings together Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) and the previous Office of Government and Community Engagement in a��new entity that serves as a hub for supporting campus engagement with external communities—doing so based on shared campus and community principles and centering data-informed outreach, civically engaged students and CU Boulder’s mission as Colorado’s flagship public research university.����

������������������,��CU Boulder’s new vision for global engagement will enable the university to foster a pervasive culture of global impact, better coordinate support for international students and faculty and strategically align global activities with research and creative work, sustainability and student success priorities.��

In November 2025, �Թ��� Schwartz announced the creation of the Office of Global Affairs, which will bring together International Student and Scholar Services, Education Abroad, the International English Center and the Global Engagement Office under one umbrella; the development of an international enrollment strategic plan under the leadership of Amy Hutton, vice chancellor for enrollment management; and the appointment of a vice chancellor for global affairs, who will ensure coordinated leadership to position CU Boulder as a globally connected institution, ready to build new partnerships and advance our international profile. We expect to have this role filled in late spring semester.

Progress on faculty compensation has also accelerated this academic year with the completion of the���Թ���’s Faculty Salary Task Force report in November 2025. Convened in partnership with the Boulder Faculty Assembly, the task force submitted recommendations aimed at improving the market competitiveness of CU Boulder faculty salaries, addressing salary compression and increasing the transparency and effectiveness of promotion, tenure and retention processes. A prioritization of these recommendations is underway, with next steps expected in early spring semester.��

What upcoming projects are you most excited about and why?��

First, I’m excited that CU Boulder is celebrating��150 years as Colorado’s flagship public institution with a host of events and recognitions that will take place throughout 2026. One such event is the campus’s inaugural�� (Jan. 27–29), hosted by Public and Community Engaged Scholarship (PACES) in the Office of Outreach and Community Engagement. CU Boulder scholars, community engagement professionals and community partners will gather to reflect on CU Boulder’s history of community engagement, learn together and build momentum for future work.��

I’m also excited that the search for CU Boulder’s inaugural vice chancellor for global affairs is underway. CU Boulder has been an outlier among peers in not having a senior leader responsible for stimulating and coordinating the university’s global strategy and impact. In the over three decades I’ve been at CU Boulder, shared governance task forces have repeatedly recommended the hiring of such a leader, and I’m delighted that this recommendation is now being acted on.

With respect to student success, I’m thankful to be part of two ongoing efforts this spring to improve our students’ holistic experience at CU Boulder. First, the��Student Flourishing initiative co-led by Sona Dimidjian, director of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute, and D’Andra Mull, vice chancellor for student life, will strengthen the campus’s commitment to student mental health and wellness through recommendations for specific actions and a plan for assessing their impact. Second, the��“Learner Lifecycle Constituent Relationship Management” (LL CRM) project�� is designed to ensure our technology ecosystem provides students with the information and support they need, when they need it.��

The LL CRM project will deliver a more connected, student-centered experience throughout each CU Boulder student’s journey, while increasing efficiency and reducing the need for ad hoc technology integrations. I’m grateful to the many individuals from OIT, Undergraduate Education, the Graduate School, Enrollment Management, Strategic Relations and Communications, Continuing Education, schools and colleges and many more who are collaborating on this multiyear project.��

As we look further out, I’m excited that the��Sundance Film Festival is relocating to Boulder��beginning in January 2027. The campus has numerous opportunities to foster student, faculty and staff engagement, enhance academic programs and celebrate the arts through our collaboration with the festival. Campus officials are working closely with Sundance organizers to support the transition to Boulder. As plans and opportunities develop, watch for more information this spring in CU Boulder Today.��

How can faculty, staff and students help achieve these goals?

All the projects and initiatives I’ve mentioned above have progressed because of the shared governance leaders, faculty, staff and students who have served on committees or provided input in constituent interviews and other forums. Their dedication has resulted in tangible outcomes.��

There are several other opportunities to get involved in outreach and community engagement work this semester. In addition to participating in the inaugural CU Boulder Community Engagement Week (Jan. 27–29), faculty, staff and students can apply for a��Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship grant; add their unit’s community-engaged research, creative work and/or teaching activities to the��Public Outreach and Community-Engaged Scholarship database; and subscribe to the��. Watch for more opportunities ahead as the��Office of Outreach and Community Engagement continues to implement the vision set forth in the �Թ���’s Task Force on Outreach report.��

In addition, there are many ways to help advance CU Boulder’s global reach and impact this spring.��Education Abroad offers options��for students in all majors and with a range of budget options and��has opportunities for faculty��to engage in teaching abroad. CU Boulder staff also play an integral role in supporting international education.

You can also attend panels at the��Conference on World Affairs (CWA), April 13–16, which brings together global experts to discuss pressing issues in a wide range of fields. It’s free and open to all. This year, CWA is proud to serve as host of CU Boulder’s 150th celebration kickoff, including panels at which CU Boulder faculty, staff, alumni and students will reflect on the university’s legacy as it turns 150 and look toward the university’s future. Watch CU Boulder Today for other opportunities to participate in events and recognitions related to the 150th anniversary celebration. If you haven’t already, please consider��.��

The campus has made meaningful progress on the initiatives and priorities �Թ��� Schwartz announced at his��inaugural State of the Campus address last April. I’m looking forward to the chancellor’s 2026 State of the Campus address on Feb. 10, and I hope you will attend, too, whether in person or via livestream.����